8 Groundbreaking Mobile Tech Advancements for 2012

Now that the champagne has fizzled and everyone has tossed out their party hats from New Year's, it's time to start thinking about mobile tech advancements. While 2011 was a breakout year, with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Apple's iPad 2, and the Asus Transformer Prime changing how we interact with others, this year will take some of the concepts that made headlines, such as 3D phones and the iPhone Siri service, and bring them to the masses.

Near-Field Communication (NFC)

Near-Field Communication (NFC)

One of the most exciting advancement in mobile technology has to do with how we'll pay for products in the checkout. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus use a near-field communication (NFC) chip that only has to make contact with a reader to process a transaction. Major outlets like Walgreens and McDonald's already use NFC-equipped terminals. You can use the Google Wallet service to track purchases as well. (Although many phones, including the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, don't yet support Google Wallet, so just how you'll use NFC to pay by phone is still being worked out.)

NFC saves time because you just tap your phone on the terminal. Yet NFC will go well beyond financial transactions. Today you can exchange data between two Galaxy Nexus phones using the Android Beam service. You place the phones back-to-back to swap browser pages, YouTube videos, and contacts. Also, we'll start seeing Bluetooth gadgets that use NFC to authenticate the connection—between your phone and a headset, for example—by tapping the devices together. Finally, no more Bluetooth pins!

Bluetooth Health Device Protocol

Bluetooth Health Device Protocol

Bluetooth has been around forever, and while it works well for streaming music from your phone to the car stereo or for using a headset, there have been few innovations beyond the basic uses. In 2012 a new protocol called Bluetooth Health Device Protocol could become a raging success. The idea is that your phone can connect to heart monitors, step-counting sensors in your shoes, and even the exercise bike at the gym without having to attach a transmitter. Today, if you use the ANT protocol, which is used with the Adidas miCoach system, there's an adapter you need to attach to your iPhone that's easy to lose. Bluetooth HDP, which is available on the Google Nexus, works without having to use an external adapter.